Aura of Betrayal
by FieryDarkWraith
Summary: Driven by heartbreak, betrayal and loss, the Chosen One vanishes from the face of the world. When he returns, he burns brighter than ever before, and the world soon has to face his wrath.
1. Preface

**~oOo~**

_I hereby dedicate this story to:_

_Myself - As a way to vent out my imagination in words_

_My friends - For being what you are_

_My parents - For giving me the free time to write this story :D_

_Finally, to You guys - For reading and reviewing and following and whatever else you guys do_

**~oOo~**

**Aura of Betrayal **

_By: FieryDarkWraith_

**Summary:** _Driven by heartbreak, betrayal and loss, the Chosen One vanishes from the face of the world. _

_When he returns, he burns brighter than ever before, and the world soon has to face his wrath. _

**~oOo~**

**Warnings:** _Perverted humor, rape, mentions of rape, and an incessant amount of cussing_

**Inspired by the Poem:**

**Rising Phoenix**

_By: Colleen Houck _

_Does Rising Phoenix Know his fate?  
__He's born, grows strong, and learns to fly.  
__He builds a nest and seeks a mate.  
__He sleeps and thirsts and hunts the sky._

_Does he know his future blazes?  
A quelling flame will take his life?  
When purging heat the pyre raises,  
Consuming all his earthly strife?_

_Does stinging dread seep through his breast?  
Does he regret past choices made?  
Does heartbreak stir his feather'd crest?  
Does he perceive the price he's paid?_

_Exquisite once, his body burns_  
_As he cries out in pain and fear._  
_Charred and black his feathers turn,_  
_Conceding life, he sheds a tear._

_From death so dire, another soul_  
_Emerges new to take his place._  
_With destiny and purpose whole_  
_A glorious dawn begins aspace!_

_Does Rising Phoenix thank his sire_  
_For embers black that gave him birth?_  
_Does he too know his fate is fire?_  
_Can he enjoy his time on Earth?_

**~oOo~**

**A/N: **_Thank you and Enjoy. _


	2. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, nor do I own most of the ideas presented in this story**

**Legend: **

**"Pokémon Speech" **

_"Telepathy"_

_Thoughts_

"Normal speech"

* * *

**Prologue**

_The term, "rise from the ashes," was orignally coined by the description of the Phoenix. The phoenix was supposedly a majestic bird with an affinity of fire, and it was supposed to be immortal. Its life would be a cycle; it would live, then burn into flames, before a chick emerges from the ashes. Unfortunately, there are no phoenixes today, so the story ends here..._

_No? You want a story? Fine, I suppose I'll tell you a story. A story that begins with the rising of Phoenix. A story that tell of how one individual, Ash (Ironic isn't it?) rose up from his ashes to take up the mantle of Phoenix. A story of how one pokémon trainer blazed onto the radar from after his fall. A story that begins here..._

~oOo~

_This battle isn't over yet, _the young man thought as he glared at his opponent across the field. It probably was, considering the conditions of his pokémon in comparison to his opponent's, but he didn't want to give in yet.

Ash swept his gaze across the field, trying hard to find something, anything that would alleviate his situation. He came up with nothing. There weren't any debis that could be used to duck behind, no pieces of terrain that would help him against his opponent.

It also didn't help that his opponent's pokémon was a Latios. A legenedary, rumored to be able to travel as fast as a jet plane, was going to be Pikachu's opponent.

_Faster than a jet plane. _Ash recalled his adventure in Altomare and felt a pang of pain when he was reminded of the events that happened there.

Ash shook his head and faced his contestant with a determined glint in his eyes. He knew that victory was nearly impossible, but all Ash wanted was to win this battle against Latios. He'd made it to the Semi-Finals, and wanted to end it with a bang.

"I'm not going to go down yet," He chanted softly, as if that would bring him victory.

Pikachu, sensing his trainer's emotions, straightened out and kept an eye on his floating opponent. He was battered, tired, and in desparate need of some ketchup, but he would try his best to accomplish his trainer's goals. They were best friends, and had gone through so much together that they could've been brothers. They could sense their emotions, and knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking.

It was Tobias who called out the first move. Latios surged forward towards Pikachu at an incredible speed, while a purple hue of energy enveloped him.

_Dragon Rush, _Ash noted and countered with his own move.

"Agility!" It was a simple move, but just enough for Pikachu to reach safety just Latios zoomed by.

"Volt Tackle!" Ash followed up with his counterattack.

Pikachu turned on his feet to face Latios and raced towards the still Latios. Electricity sparked from his cheeks until his entire body was enveloped in it and he countined to race towards Latios. With a final push off the ground, Pikachu leapt towards the unmoving Latios.

Ash cracked a grin, it was simply too late to dodge now. He cracked a look at his opponent and was stunned by the calm facade that he carried. _Maybe he's just like Paul, always calm and never revealing, _Ash pondered for a moment before he turned his attention back on Pikachu.

Pikachu was mere inches away from Latios and Ash's grin widened even more. Maybe it was possible to win now. Latios suddenly shot upwards and fanned out once he reached a certain height. A familiar pinkish ball started forming in Latios' mouth as he turned to face the shocked Pikachu.

It was Luster Purge, Latios' specialty move.

Too late, Ash's eyes widened when he realized that it was all a ploy to get Pikachu exactly where he held no advantage, in midair.

"Pikachu, watch—" Ash was only able to say that much before the pink beam struck, knocking Pikachu into the ground and kicking up a plume of dust.

Ash covered his face when the dust cloud washed over him, billowing around and covering his senses.

When the dust finally settled, the first thing Ash saw was the limp form of Pikachu. The body seemed unnaturally still and dread started to pool into Ash's stomach.

"Pikachu, get up!" Ash called out frantically.

"Is it finally over for Ash Ketchum. Has the trainer who defeated Tobias' Darkrai finally been stopped?" The MC blared, but Ash only had his sights and thoughts on one pokémon.

"PLEASE!" This couldn't be happening, Ash thought, panicking when Pikachu still wasn't moving. All sounds seemed to have stopped, and in Ash's eye, there was only Pikachu. Pikachu, the lovable yellow mouse and Ash's partner. They'd done so many things together, fought countless battles, won countless tournaments, and been with each other through every journey that it couldn't have ended here. It shouldn't, Ash thought, as a tear threatened to fall from his face.

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears twitched a bit. Ash's eyes widened as he scrubbed them to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Pikachu's ears twitched again, along with the yellow mouse lifting his head. Ash's hopes soared; Pikachu was going to be alright!

The yellow mouse began to rise, only to collapse back into the ground from exhaustion.

"It looks like Tobias is— Wait, what's this!?" The MC screamed in surprise.

Pikachu planted his feet firmly into the ground and pushed himself back up. He glared balefully at Latios before turning to his trainer.

He gave a curt nod, telling him that everything was alright.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He then gave a questioning gaze that seemed to ask, "Do you still want to continue?"

Pikachu paused for a moment. His legs were wavering and he looked like he was in no condition to fight. Even Ash could see that and did not want to force it upon Pikachu. _It's Pikachu decision, _Ash firmly told himself. They were going to lose anyways but they might win. Ash was already proud that he'd made it all the way to the Semi-Finals and knew that getting to the finals was an impossibility. It would all be up to Pikachu now.

Unfortunately, the decision was made for them, in the form of a command from Tobias.

"Luster Purge, again!"

The words rang out clearly and loudly, as if all sounds in the standium had stopped. Time seemed to slow for Ash as a pink orb began to form in Latios' mouth and his own body moved into autopilot.

"Pikachu, NO!" Ash cried out as he ran towards the yellow mouse, ready to use his own body as a defense for the mouse.

It was too late, Ash thought, when the beam left Latios' mouth and shot towards the unsuspecting yellow mouse. He wasn't even close to the mouse yet, and the beam was already nearly there.

The pink beam struck Pikachu, and the world erupted in a cloud of dust.

~oOo~

It wasn't until the Lily of the Valley Conference was over when Ash did something he never did before.

He swore a personal vendetta against Tobias.

It wasn't just because Pikachu was in a critical condition, but also because Tobias did something Ash wouldn't forgive. He hurt a Pokémon, purposefully. While it was on a battlefield, Tobias should've waited, as it was clear that they weren't ready yet.

Ash clenched his fists as he remembered Tobias' parting comment when he was going to run into the emergency room.

_"You should've trained your pokémon better, Ash." _Tobias had said.

Even worse was the smirk that marred his features, as if critically injuring Pikachu was nothing but a joke. Even when he held up the cup, he didn't hold it like it was a trophy, something to be proud of. He held it in a fashion that oddly reminded Ash of how a fisherman would hold up a fish, as if it were just another thing to add to a large pile of things to sell. He wasn't proud of it, Ash could tell that much, and looked more like he just wanted to melt it down for money.

_"You should've trained your pokémon better," _The words rang in his head, which lead him to swear a vendetta. It was something he'd never done before. Even when Paul had criticized his every move and tactic, he only saw him as a rival. An annoying rival, alright, but a rival nevertheless.

But this vendetta, was something else all together. It marked that battle as a personal attack on Ash's best buddy Pikachu, and that was unforgivable.

But first, Ash would have to grow stronger to fulfill his end of the deal. One couldn't beat legendaries without a lot of training, and that was exactly what Ash planned to do. He planned to train.

~oOo~

A storm was brewing. At least, that was what it appeared to Ash when gray clouds were quickly covering the sky. The clouds were rapidly rolling in, and the patches of blue were shrinking. A dark gray blanket would soon cover it all, and Ash had no intention of getting soaked on his way home.

"Come on, Pikachu. We have to get home fast!" Ash called out in the darkness.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu's exasperated cry rang out.

The two sprinted towards the Ketchum residence at the top of the hill and were about a quarter of the way there when the downpour fell. Thunder boomed and lightning cackled as the thunderstorm unleashed its full force upon the two travellers.

"Ahh!" Ash cried out when the ice cold water started to reach everywhere on his body.

Pikachu was in no better condition, his fur, wettened by the water, began to cling together in clumps. The two hurried their way home, before they got any more drenched than how they were at the moment. The reached the house just when storm started to rain harder, with the droplets pounding on the windows of the house.

Ash knocked on the door and yelled loudly, hoping the individual inside would hear him, "MOM! I'M HOME AND OPEN THE DOOR!"

The door didn't open and Ash faltered. He began banging on the door in hopes of the door opening but it didn't. _Uh-oh, _Ash thought miserably, _It looks like we are screwed. _

"Pikapi..." Pikachu didn't need to hear Ash's thoughts to realize the hopelessness of the situation. They were stranded, outside, in the rain and would most likely not get any help until the next morning. Pikachu shuddered, both from the cold and the mere thought of being in this type of weather for a full night. If that didn't give them a cold, he didn't know what would.

Suddenly, when all hope seemed lost, the door opened and Ash's mom, Delia was at the doorway.

"Oh, Ash and Pikachu! Come inside quickly!"

Ash and Pikachu needed no further invitation and quickly rushed in to stand next to the heater, their teeth chattering from their short exposure out in the rain. Pikachu shook his pelt, causing water to splatter all over the place.

Delia shook her absentmindedly and went into the kitchen to get some hot cocoa for the two of them. They would definitely need it, if their teeth-chattering and the puddles forming near them were any indication.

When Delia returned, Ash and Pikachu had dried off a bit, although they were still freezing. She smiled sadly at their misfortune and handed Ash a mug of the hot cocoa and a bowl for Pikachu. They muttered their thanks and lapped at their drinks, yelping when the hot water burned their tongues.

Delia smiled, even though Ash was well into his teen years, he was still a young boy, making countless mistakes in his career. _Just like his father, _Delia though absentmindedly. Even though she hadn't seen him in years, she knew that he was probably still around, somewhere. Call it a sixth sense, but she knew that eventually, he would come back to see his kid all grown up and with a girlfriend of his own, or maybe even a wife.

"Speaking of which," Delia muttered to herself, "Its about time I called her."

While Delia headed off to call someone, Ash headed upstairs to take a hot shower. When he opened the door to his room, he paused. The room was exactly as he remembered it, with a few prizes from past tournaments decorating a corner of the room, his bed opposite that wall and various pokémon posters decorating the walls. He took a whiff. It even smelled of his room, whereinupon there was a lilac scent that was supposed to mask whatever activities he may get up into for the brief periods he stayed here. Above everything else, there were not a speck of dust to be seen, indicating that his mom had been cleaning this room, even in his abscence over his five years of travelling.

Ash let himself smile. Even though he was nearly fifteen and ready to take care of himself, his mom was still treating him like a little boy. Ash walked over to his drawer and pulled out some clothing for his shower. Above the drawer was picture frame that held one image of a girl. The picture had been taken when they were still travelling together. He traced the girl's features absentmindedly, as if he'd done this many times in the past. When he thought of meeting her again, Ash smiled dreamily.

As he left the room, Ash cast one last look at the picture before he shut the door.

It was picture of May.

* * *

**A/N: **_All my A/N's will be located on the bottom now, since I figured that people usually only read the bottom portion of anything really. I've made some drastic changes, if this chapter was anything to compare to the original. As I said in the final chapter of the original, this took me so long because I was contemplating the choices of using 3rd person versus using 1st person. Also, putting emotions into thoughts is so much harder than I thought it would. If this keeps up, it'll take me weeks to type 5k chapters. _

_Also, another thing to note, a few seeds have been sown in the chapter, and more will be sown in future chapters. It is only later that I'll finally reap the benefits, and hope to Arceus that you guys won't kill me for dropping cliffhangers left and right. Trust me, the next two chapters are both going to end in cliffhangers, so hold on tight and just please, don't curse me in your reviews. _

**Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Reviews? LEAVE A REVIEW :D**


	3. Loss

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, nor do I own most of the ideas presented in this story**

**Legend: **

**"Pokémon Speech" **

_"Telepathy"_

_Thoughts_

"Normal speech"

* * *

**Loss **

**Ash's POV**

I walked into the shower and cranked the knob to full blast. The shower head erupted to life and soon the room begin to steam As I let water run down my face, I recalled when it had all began.

There is a saying that says that big things begin with simple things. May's and my relationship were no different.

It all began with a simple kiss.

**Flashback **

_The red sun casted a glow on everything that it touched. Waves of rolling water were tinted with red and orange while the rest were a dark, murky blue. There weren't any clouds and the various colors of the sunset covered the sky. Simply put, it was a beautiful sight. _

_May sat next to me, on the edge of the boat with her feet dangling in the water, savoring the coolness. She was staring at Manaphy splashing in the water, while I at her. _

_I never did see her in this light before. I didn't what had changed since I didn't seem any different since before the Sea Temple business, but this was something else now. She seemed different, like happier, I guess. Back when we were in the Temple, her facial expression displayed panic and fear for Manaphy. She had seemed frail back then, and then there was the flooding of the temple. I recalled worrying about her, like Mom would to me. _

_Now that I think of that, I can't figure out what made me put here into the tank so she could be safe. I wondered what possessed me to protect her like that. Was it simply because she was my friend, and I always protected my friends, or was it something else all together? _

_When May turned her gaze away from Manaphy and turned to look at me, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Now there was definitely something up. I don't recall those eyes being so beautiful before, or were my eyes just playing tricks on me? _

_Diverting my gaze, I stood up and prepared to walk back into the cabin when I was stopped by May. _

_"Wait, sit with me, Ash." _

_I paused and turned around to look at her. Her glistening sapphire orbs always held sweetness and joy but now they looked forlorn and lost. And then there was her posture. She was hugging herself, as if she was lonely and her lips had all but lost the mirth usually in them. She looked, frail, for a lack of a better word. _

_Without a word, I moved forward to sit next to her. She laid her head on my shoulder and the emotions running through me would be indescribable. I felt a sort of tingling feeling, just being with her, and felt happy. It wasn't the sort of happiness I felt when I was battling, but rather a sort a happiness that I usually felt when Mom beamed with pride at me. For a lack of a better word, I felt blissful, as if Arceus himself had just welcomed me into his domain. _

_We sat there for quite a while. After a while, she began to talk. She told me of her life from before she began her pokémon journey, when all she wanted to do was to go out to see the world. She shared to me that when she first began travelling, she didn't initially like pokémon, and only became a pokémon trainer as a means to see the world. "And then," she said, "I met you and you changed the way I thought about pokémon."_

_I comforted her wherever I could, and said with great pride, "We're friends, after all, right?" _

_Later, after May had said goodbye to Manaphy, she threw her arms around me and sobbed into my shoulder. I was stunned, I didn't know what to do for a second before I tentatively reached and arm and patted her back. I ran it up and down slowly, unsure of what to do as May's sobs only seemed to grow louder. I countinued to do so anyways because Mom always had done it to me before and it always calmed me down, so it should work for May, too right? _

_Slowly her sobbing subsided enough for her to pull away. She wiped her eyes and mumbled, "Sorry 'bout that," while her eyes faced the floor._

_"It's alright, that was the first time you had to release a pokémon after you've grown attached to him. I remembered that I cried the first time, too." I reassured her. _

_I lifted her face to studied her eyes. They were bloodshot and seemed so unlike the May I knew with more tears seeping out of them with each passing moment. I lifted a finger up to brush away some tears when the unthinkable happened. _

_May closed her eyes, leaned forward and pressed her lips onto mine. _

_Everything felt electric. I was aware of every little movement that May's lips seemed to do, every action firing off so many nerves that my head began to swell. The soft sensous feel of May's lips left me receding into the far reaches of the mind, where all throughts seemed to have blanked out. It was amazing, exhilirating, and powerful, all at the same time. All too soon, the feelings ended when May pulled back. _

_"I'm sorry," She whispered, "I shouldn't have done that." _

_She ran back into the cabin and slammed the door behind her, although not before I heard a sob breaking out. _

_Heart still pounding and my mind still in daze, I stared at the door for long time, wondering, _What in Arceus' world had just happened?

**Flashback End **

I cranked off the nozzle and began to dry myself with a towel. _I was definitely so very naive back then, _I thought to myself, bringing myself to smile.

_Yes, oh so naive. How could I not see what was in front of me the whole time? _I grinned before I walked out the door to head back downstairs.

~oOo~

**3rd Person POV**

When Ash came back down the stairs, he carried a wide grin and a dreamy look on his face.

"Thinking about May again, huh?" Delia teased as she set the phone onto the table.

Ash nodded and moved to sit in front of her, picking up the fork to begin eating. As he gobbled up the material in front of like he was a starved man, Delia started speaking.

"Well, you're in luck. May has invited you over to a small tournament in Petalburg City in two weeks. Are you going?"

"'re 'ou jokin'?" Ash asked excitedly through his food, "'F corse I am!"

"Swallow your food before you speak, young man!" Delia chided sternly, although she gazed fondly at him. _Still the same Ash as ever. _

Ash quickly swallowed and spoke again, "I'll get to see May again! Not to mention, I plan on winning that Tournament for sure!"

"Mmhm," Delia was glad to see Ash was as normal as ever. If anything, the devastating loss at the Sinnoh league didn't appear to have affected Ash too badly.

Delia couldn't have been more wrong. Ash's head was filled with thoughts of meeting May again, yet also darker thoughts regarding the tournament. He'd decided to use the tournament as a starting point for his training, with May by his side. He'd grow strong and finally avenge Pikachu's injury by defeating Tobias. He planned to win, but needed to train first. The tournament would be a good place to start, Ash decided, because the best training came from experience and battling was simply the best experience out there.

Besides, Ho-oh still hadn't made an appearance yet, and she was usually the beacon that told Ash where to go next for his journey. She would eventually appear, Ash hoped, but he resigned to dealing with the most important thing for now. Whether Ho-oh supported his goal or not, Ash wasn't sure, but he was sure that wiping the smirk off of Tobias' face would be definitely worth it.

After Ash had finished his meal, he headed back upstairs into his room for a good, long sleep.

~oOo~

Ash took a first step off the ship and breathed the fresh spring air, "Ah! Nothing but Hoenn spring air!"

The duo of Ash and Pikachu had finally arrived in Petalburg City. After days spent on a ship with only sea air to breathe, they were glad to be able to breathe fresh air from land, although in Hoenn, there wasn't too much of a difference. They were the first ones in the long line to walk off the ship into the bustling city.

Unfortunately, he was holding up the line so the pushing and shoving from the others eventually caused him to lose his grip on the handles and he tumbled down the stairs.

Omph! Ahh! Bang! Bonk! Ack! Omph!

Ash laid, bedazzled, on the ground in a prostrate position with Pikachu in an equally fainted position next to him. A security guard hurried over and shook Ash.

Ash and Pikachu instantly leapt back and stood sheepishly in front of the guard.

"Are you two alright?"

Ash nodded, "I guess we got overexcited, that's all."

"Pika" Pikachu scratched the back of his head sheepishly, just like his trainer.

The security guard turned to look at the people walking down the stairs for a brief moment before he turned back to the two of them, "Watch out next time, alright?"

Ash and Pikachu were quick to nod before they dashed off, heading for May's home, the Petalburg Gym, in the vast city.

They eventually made it through to the Petalburg Gym, but not before getting lost a couple of times along the way. Despite having been there in the past, they still somehow managed to get lost.

"Whew," Ash wiped his brow, panting, when they finally arrived at the gym. "We're finally here," He stated proudly.

"Pika!" Pikachu was not amused. He'd followed his trainer all around town twice and got lost so many times that he'd lost count. Sure, he was glad to have finally made it to the gym, but his incompetent trainer had lead him all around town except where this gym was. They'd already been here before, so why did it take so long? Pikachu shook his head, _I'll never understand Pikapi. At least, outside of battle, anyways..._

Ash walked forward and knocked on the door. He waited for a moment before the door opened.

"Ash!" Caroline greeted loudly, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"Pika!?" Pikachu seemed to ask, "How could you forget about me?"

"Yes, you, too Pikachu," Caroline smiled fondly at the yellow mouse before backing away from the doorway, "Come on in."

The two headed inside and were greeted by a warm sight. Nine-year old Max had his nose buried in a book while sitting near the television, although he did look up when they entered. Norman was sitting in a chair next to the kitchen table, eating what appeared to be lunch while casting a glance at Ash when he entered. May was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Ash," Norman spoke, his voice deep and friendly, "You've come here for tournament right?"

"That's right! And I plan on winning it!" Ash threw a fist up for good measure, and Pikachu mimicked his actions.

Norman let out a guttural laugh, "Same as ever, same as ever, Ash."

Ash glanced around curiously and asked, "Where's May?"

"Oh, looking for your girlfriend already, Ash?" Caroline started to tease but when she got no reaction except confusion, she paused, "She's upstairs, I think."

Ash nodded mutely and headed upstairs to find May. When he finally got to the top of the stairs, he quickly rushed to where May's room was and paused. When he heard May's slight humming coming from inside, Ash grinned and began to slowly open the door. He peeked inside to find May working happily on something on her desk.

Ash pushed the door open wider and once it was sufficiently wide enough, tentatively put a foot forward. May didn't show any signs of being aware of his presence. Stretching his foot further along, Ash held his breath as he slowly inched towards the unsuspecting May.

When Ash was close enough to May, he stretched his arms out and—

"Aiyee~!" May shot up out of her chair and probably would've fallen out had Ash not had his arms around the girl. When Ash broke out laughing, she huffed, "That's not funny!"

"Sure it is," Ash grinned as he nuzzled her cheek.

"I'm warning you, if you do that again, I won't kiss you again!"

Ash was suddenly very threatened and tried to change the topic, "What were you working on?"

May flushed and mumbled, "It's nothing."

"Oh come on, I know you are working on something!" Ash reached out to grab the piece of paper, but May knocked his hand away.

She laughed nervously and said, "It's nothing that you need to worry about, seriously!"

Since she held a threatening gaze on him, Ash backed off and said, "Fine, fine. Will I get to see it when it's finished then?" When all he got was an intensified glare in response, he sought to change the topic again, "Do you want to do anything with me then?"

"Shopping," was May's curt response.

Ash's heart began to fill with dread. He was about to say no and hope for the better until he saw the determined look in May's eyes. Resigned to his fate, Ash sighed and hoped that his wallet wouldn't suffer too much from this.

~oOo~

After the long and tedious shopping trip, Ash and May settled down near a bench for some ice cream. The sun was blazing hot, and a long shopping session didn't improve Ash's mood at all.

"Cheer up, Ash!" May lapped at her ice cream graciously, savoring its flavor and chill in spite of the sun.

Ash frowned and grumbled, "I am too tired to be happy."

"Really?" May leaned in and touched his nose with her own, "What makes you say that?"

He stared into the intense eyes that she held for him and groaned. Taking action into his own hands, he tilted his head and pressed his lips onto hers. His senses were overwhelmed again by the sensous feel of May's lips and he was soon lost in the passionate world of making out.

When they pulled away again for a breath, Ash was still in a bit of a daze. He was still not completely used to the idea of dating and kissing, but loved May anyways for leaving him feeling so giddy.

May giggled and moved her ice cream cone in front of her to get another lick. "You should eat your ice cream, Ash. It's melting."

"Huh, wha?" Ash was slowly regaining his senses and looked at the melted ice cream dribbling down his fingers, "Oh shit!"

She giggled again, and propped herself away from Ash while he devoured the cone. While Ash was busy wiping his sticky fingers onto a napkin, May took another long lap at the ice cream.

Ash finally caught her eyes and became mesmerized in it. That's how they ended up, staring deeply into each other while May was occasionally licking the ice cream cone. Ash was suddenly reminded of the time when they started to realized that they loved each other, which involved a lot of staring, much like how it was now.

May saw some haze appearing into his eyes, signifying that he was lost in some memory. She broke the silence by asking, "Thinking about me again?"

Startled, Ash snapped out of his trance-like state that was induced from his travel down the memory lane and gave a lopsided grin, "Yeah, just remembering how we ended up dating."

May grimaced, "Yeah, that sure went well. Your... declarations of love were sure helpful."

"It was all Brock's fault!" Ash protested.

"Well, you should've known better than to ask Brock!" May shot back.

They both smiled as the recalled what happened that day.

**Flashback **

_After May ran into the ship and disappeared, Ash headed in as well to seek some help. For some strange reason, his heart was pounding, and he felt a bit whoozy at the moment. Not to mention, why had May pressing her lips against his felt so good? As far as he was concerned, only married people did that, and he and May were certainly not married. _

_Or were they? That thought caused him to stop in his tracks and nearly freeze in terror. _

_Brock suddenly walked by and asked Ash, "Ash, why was May crying earlier?" _

_Ash dashed forward and held Brock's hand, "Brock, please tell me I'm not married to May!"_

_"What are you talking about?" Brock was confused, why was Ash spouting nonsense about being married to May? _

_Seeing his confusion, Ash clarified it for him, "Well May just pressed her lips against mine and I only saw married couples do that and so I thought that we were somehow married and then I started freaking out and then you came along." _

_Brock was already in tears after 'mine' and was mumbling some mumbo-jumbo about how it was unfair that Ash already had a girlfriend and he didn't. _

Girlfriend? _Ash thought, _I thought I was talking about marriage. Isn't May already a girlfriend because she's a friend and she's a she? So what is Brock-o talking about!?

_Brock stopped crying and said with total seriousness, "Ash, having a girlfriend is a very serious responsibility, and I will teach all about it." _

_Ash became even more confused; if having a girlfriend was such a huge responsibility, then how come he didn't have too much problems with Misty? Come to think of it, they were always bickering, so maybe that's what Brock meant by huge responsibility?_

_Brock whispered a few things into Ash's ear before the young teen leapt back to look at Brock in shock. _

_"What do you mean by girlfriend, and why would I do __that__ to May!?" _

_"Has no one ever given you the Talk before?" _

_"Talk? What talk? We're talking right now!" Ash asked confusedly. _

_Brock facepalmed and explained a few more things into Ash's ear, to which he just nodded dumbly. After a few more clarifications, Ash posed another question. _

_"So I just go up to May and ask for... what?" _

_"Sex!" Brock stated proudly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. _

_"So I walk up to May and say, 'Sorry May, about earlier. Do you want to make it up in bed?'" Ash repeated what Brock had recommended earlier. _

_Brock nodded rapidly, although Ash was still a bit skeptical about the idea. But nevertheless, he decided to follow the bit of advice and sought out to find May. _

_..._

_Needless to say, the meeting did not go as expected, at least not for Ash. _

_May slapped Ash across the cheek, harshly, and screeched, "HOW COULD YOU THINK LIKE THAT!?" _

_"Wait May!" Ash cursed Brock under his breath, "I just wanted to say..." _

_"Say what?" May was fuming. _Well, at least she's not crying any more...,_ Ash noted. _

_"Ugh, how to put this..." Ash scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say, "I- I enjoyed it when you kissed me?" _

_"You did?" May was surprised, as she had acted out of hand during that moment. She didn't realize that he had feelings for her. _

_"Yes," Ash suddenly recalled another piece of information from Brock, "So would you like to bang sometime?" _

_"WHAT!?" May couldn't tell whether Ash was joking or something. _

_Ash groaned, "Stupid Brock, doesn't give useful advice when you need it..." _

_May caught that and started laughing, "I-I ca-can't b-believe you-you'd a-ask Br-Brock for a-advice!" _

_"I guess what I'm trying to say here is," Ash was caught in a train of though for a moment and mumbled the rest out, "I like you" _

_"What?" May had a suspicion about what he'd just say, but wanted to make sure. _

_"I LIKE YOU!" Ash accidentally said it loud enough for the other residents of the ship to hear, and blushed when a few laughs and catcalls from the cabin reached them. _

_Likewise, May blushed, both from Ash's admittance and from how obvious their situation had grown. _

**Flashback End **

"Next time, don't ask Brock for advice, ever!" May said sternly.

"Sure thing, Ma'am!" Ash saluted while May broke out into giggles.

~oOo~

The tournament was finally here. After countless hours of tireless training and preparing, Ash felt that he was ready to take the tournament on and come out on the very top. He was ready to show the world just what Ash Ketchum was made up of. But first, he needed to sign up for it.

"What's taking so long!?" Ash complained loudly to his friends after the line barely moved forward in what seemed to be an hour.

"What, Ashy boy can't wait in line for a tournament?" Gary taunted.

Ash ignored him and continued to pester Brock, "How much more longer?"

"It's been a minute since you last asked, Ash. I know you're excited and all, but can you at least wait patiently?"

Ash groaned and sighed. It was time to wait.

The day was sunny and had a beautiful, clear blue sky. Wild pokémon were enjoying themselves throughout the forests surrounding Petalburg, and many trainers were simply enjoying themselves in the city. Of course, some trainers happened to be on line for the Petalburg Tournament, simply because they wanted victory or some fame that came along with the tournament. While not as competitive as the Conferences that the Five Regions tended to boast about, the Petalburg Tournament came with its own share of fame, mostly because Norman's gym was the hardest of Hoenn to defeat.

To Ash, the line seemed to inch forward ever so slowly, so he constantly tapped his foot as he waited for any movement from the person in front of him. After what seemed to be an eternity, the person took a step forward. After multiple times of this happening, Ash finally broke.

"ARGH! Why does this line have to take so long!?" Ash bemoaned to the sky, as if Arceus himself would explain it to him.

"What are you talking about? It's only been ten minutes," Brock said, much to the amusement of nearby trainers.

Eventually, after what was three lifetimes for Ash (he was foaming by the time they reached the double doors), they finally arrived at the front desk. Ash suddenly leapt back to life and presented his ID proudly, "I would like to sign up for the tournament."

"And I would like you to sign me up for everything! That includes marriage and love!" Brock pushed Ash aside for some womanizing.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening!" Misty began to pull on Brock's ear to pull him away, "Sorry about that!"

"Er," Nurse Joy sweatdropped and turned back to Ash, "Here's your ID. Head through the double doors back there and—"

Ash had already dashed off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Nurse Joy sighed, "I hope he doesn't forget that he has to enter through the third room on the left. Everywhere else is entrances for the visitors."

Ash's friends' eyes bulged out as they quickly signed up and hurried off for to find their friend, who probably has gone off to Arceus knows where.

Eventually they found him, but he ignored his friends when he saw someone that he expected the least to see here.

"Tobias..." Ash hissed and narrowed his eyes when he spotted the familiar dark-blue hair and cloak.

He was about to head towards the Sinnoh League winner when the MC began to announce the beginnings of the tournament.

"Welcome to the Petalburg Tournament! Mr. Goodshow has graciously funded us to set up this tournament, so let's give him a round of applause!"

The clapping was contagious and pretty soon, everyone was clapping.

"But we know what you're all here for, you are here to win this Tournament and take away the prize of 50,000 pokédollars, right!?"

The cheering became deafening as nearly everyone clapped or shouted.

Ash joined in, albeit reluctantly. His mind was still on the appearance of Tobias. _Why in the world is he here!? I thought this was a small tournament, so what could Tobias gain by being in this tournament? _

In his frenzied thinking, Ash didn't notice that the matchings were put up. When he did look up, he was frozen in shock.

His first match would be against Tobias.

~oOo~

"This is a one-on-one preliminary match between Ash Ketchum and..."

Ash wasn't listening. He was glaring at the opponent across the battlefield from him, who was carrying a smirk. Ash so wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but he could only do that by winning this battle.

"And let the battle begin!"

Ash was already prepared and tossed his first pokémon out. A flash of light later and green reptilian, bipedal pokémon apperared.

"Scept!" The pokémon put a twig in his mouth and stared down at his opponent.

When Ash saw what Tobias had sent out, his mouth went dry. Instead of Darkrai, like he was expecting, Tobias had sent out Latios. The chances of Sceptile winning a fight against the Eon pokémon were very slim. Latios was Dragon-type and Psychic-type, so most of Sceptile's attacks wouldn't be very effective. Pitch in the fact that Latios probably knows some Ice and Fire-type moves and that it was a legendary, it was like pitching a Ground-type against a Flying-type.

Ash didn't mind type advantages or disadvantages much because he believed in his pokémon, but after the humiliating defeat at the hands of Tobias, he needed every advantage he could get against him.

"Scept!" Sceptile agreed heartily and prepared a fighting stance. Tobias was silent throughout, smirking harshly when he saw the panicked look on Ash's face.

Tobias was coward, Ash realized that now. He was scared that he might lose again if Darkrai was sent out, so he tried to reassure his victory by using something Ash hadn't beaten. _He doesn't realize that any pokémon can be beaten in battle eventually, _Ash mused.

Ash was adamant that he could win against such high odds and said to Sceptile, "Are you ready, buddy?"

"Luster Purge!"

_And he's already beginning with the strongest move in his arsenal, _Ash shouted, "Dodge it!"

Sceptile dashed to the left as the pink beam struck the ground where he was just standing. Keeping his cool composure, Sceptile stared warily at his opponent.

"Bullet Seed!"

Yellow orbs rapidly fired out of Sceptile's mouth and headed towards Latios. They drew closer and closer until Latios shot to the left and released another pink beam at Sceptile. Ash nearly panicked but recalled his command from earlier, "Dodge it!"

_He's going to keep using Luster Purge, _Ash noticed that Latios had already began charging another pink orb once Sceptile emerged from the dust cloud. _Well, then, it's time strike back. _

"Quick Attack, Sceptile!"

Sceptile twisted his body from where he was just standing and shot towards Latios. _Closer, _Ash waited for the right moment to unleash an attack. _Closer, _Sceptile was nearly next to Latios by now. Sceptile was next to Latios and Eon Pokémon started to launch the pink beam, _And__—_

"Into the Air!" Ash finished the command just as Sceptile leapt above Eon Pokémon.

The pink beam missed and Ash grinned, "Now, Bullet Seed!"

Yellow orbs rained down on the Eon Pokémon from above and bruises stared forming at where they'd struck. Latios cried out in pain while Ash wanted to do a victory dance at getting the first hit.

"Dragon Pulse!" The command threw Ash off as he watched in horror when Latios raised his head and opened his mouth—

"Leaf Blade on it's mouth!" Ash reacted just as quickly when Latios' mouth started opening. Sceptile was able to snap the mouth shut with a high-powered Leaf Blade to the mouth. Latios winced as he started to back away.

Ash, ever confident in his win, ordered the next command, "Solar Beam!"

That was when things started to go downhill. While the reptilian started charging a high energy beam powered by the sun, Tobias smirked and shouted, "Ice Beam!"

A pale blue beam left Latios' mouth and started to hone in on Sceptile, who was still charging a glowing yellow orb. Ash's eyes widened when he realized that Sceptile wasn't going to make it, "Sceptile, stop and dodge it!"

But it was too late. The beam struck Sceptile's legs first and slowly froze him from bottom up. Even though a yellow orb was already forming, it quickly died out when the ice had reached Sceptile's shoulders. Soon, the green reptilian was encased in a block of ice. Ash could only watch on helplessly.

"It looks like I win again, Ash..." Tobias smirked.

Despite the bile rising in his throat, Ash retorted, "We'll see about that!"

Ignoring Tobias' next comment, Ash tried to call out to Sceptile, "Sceptile, break out of it!"

When nothing happened, Tobias said, "It's not going to work. Admit it, you lost."

"No, I believe in Sceptile!" Ash continued to try and encourage the frozen reptile, "Come on Sceptile!"

Tobias was about to scoff when a cracking sound could be heard.

Crack! Crack! The frozen cubicle that contained Sceptile was cracking open! With one final crack, the structure broke open and Sceptile leapt out with the twig still in his mouth. Sceptile flipped in the air before landing on his two feet. "Scept! Sceptile!"

And thus, the battle resumed once more. "Luster Purge!"

Ash was getting tired of the pink beam when he once again ordered Sceptile to dodge the attack. Sceptile dashed to the left and—

"Bullet Seed, once more!"

Yellow orbs fired out from Sceptile's mouth and pelted towards Latios. It was a repeat of before and naturally had identical results. Latios also dashed off to the side before—

"Dragon Pulse!"

A purple orb launched out of Latios mouth and Ash quickly ordered his counter, "Leaf Storm, NOW!"

A flurry of leaves left Sceptile's body and darted towards the incoming Dragon Pulse. Within moments, the orb exploded, leaving a few of the leaves drifting towards the ground until—

"Luster Purge!" Ash used the opportunity countered with his own high-powered move, "Solar Beam!"

While a yellow orb started appearing in Sceptile's mouth, a similarily shaped pink orb started to form in Latios' mouth. Within a few moments, both beams left their owners' mouths and met at the center.

The two beams collided and merged into a single fight for dominance. Despite Solar Beam's high power, Luster Purge was still able to overpower it and slowly inch towards Sceptile. The fight would be futile, Ash knew that much, Sceptile simply didn't have enough power to overwhelm the Luster Purge attack. But there was one last thing that he could do—

"Dodge it now!" Ash commanded when the Solar Beam ended and the Luster Purge headed towards Septile full on.

Sceptile leapt to the side and only winced a bit once the attack struck where he was standing, moments before. He panted heavily as the Solar Beam had taken quite a lot out of him. His opponent, the Latios, was also panting heavily from the overuse of Luster Purge. It was so far a stalemate.

But it was not to be. Tobias had one last move up his sleeve, and it would be one that no even a fast pokémon like Sceptile could escape from—

"Psychic!"

Ash cursed under his breath when Sceptile was held under an invisible hold by Latios. There was really nothing that can be done and Ash hoped that Sceptile would still be standing after this. Latios lifted Sceptile and rammed him into the ground.

One last Luster Purge later and Sceptile had fainted.

Ash had lost to Tobias, again.

* * *

**A/N: **_Okay, I gave fluff another try and it seemed to turn out rather well, despite the fact that its breakup will be looming over really soon... Also, I tried to make the battle interesting although I have a feeling that it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped... Ah, well..._

_Now, to address all of you who wanted advanceshipping; that segment up there is the only bit of advanceshipping you will get in this story. I recommend you read the original, or at least until I put up chapter 3, which is when this story can take its own path because all the foundations have been laid down. I'd rushed this chapter because nothing of real significance except maybe Ash's loss to Tobias has occurred._

_To those of you who've read the original, my infamous perverted humor has struck once again :P_

**A/N: **_Additional points: _

_Luster Purge = 100 Power _

_Dragon Pulse = 90 Power_

_Psychic = 40 Power (You only really move pokémon around and hit them into solid things. Unless that happens to be more painful than a rocket being launched at you (any move that involves an orb), then it shouldn't be so powerful)_

**Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Reviews? LEAVE A REVIEW**


	4. Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, nor do I own most of the ideas presented in this story**

**Legend: **

**"Pokémon Speech" **

_"Telepathy"_

_Thoughts_

"Normal speech"

* * *

**Betrayal **

There were no need for words to be spoken. Ash knew quite clearly that he'd lost and with a downcast expression, he left the field. Sceptile had done well and had done his best to hold up against a fast Legendary like Latios, but that apparently wasn't enough.

None of his pokémon were ready at this point, and a training regime was in order if Ash was to ever defeat the jet plane that was Tobias' Latios. Sceptile's speed clearly wasn't enough; not after the Psychic was able to grab hold of him so quickly with little or no resistance.

Ash shook his head, _No, I will simply have to become stronger and faster to beat Tobias. _

With the rivarly in mind, Ash headed towards the Pokémon Center to recover his Sceptile. His friends intercepted him midway, blabbering about his most recent battle.

"Did you see that guy Tobias? He had a Latios!" Max chattered noisily, praising Ash's opponent and grating on Ash's nerves.

"Don't feel too bad about your loss, Ash," Brock placed his hand on Ash's shoulder, "You will eventually beat him and his Latios."

Ash shrugged the hand away and glared at May, "Why did you invite me to this tournament?"

May reached her hand out tentatively, "What—"

Ash cut her off and pushed her hand away, "Why was Tobias in this tournament? Did you invite him here?"

"Wait—" May began again but got cut off again.

"You think this is so funny isn't it!?" Ash was infuriated and continued his rant,"Well it isn't so fuck off!"

While Ash stormed off, he could hear some quiet sobbing from behind him and Brock's reassuring voice, "He lost to Tobias recently and he's just frustrated about losing again today."

Ash wasn't too sure that what he was feeling was frustration. Sure, he was at this point about his most recent loss, but that wasn't really the point. _Okay, maybe it is frustration, _Ash thought as he remembered how he was constantly trying to find new ways for his pokémon to get stronger and faster. _With lots of stress involved, _Ash mused while he approached the Pokémon Center.

He cleared his thoughts and walked into the Pokémon Center. The inside was spacious and rather empty, partly because most of the trainers were in the stadium for their matches.

Heading up to the front desk, Ash held out Sceptile's pokéball and handed it to Nurse Joy. She nodded mutely and handed the pokéball to a nearby Blissey. The pokémon set it on a metallic tray and carried it inside. When Ash asked for a room key, Nurse Joy took one out and held it to him.

Ash took the key and held it tilted under the light so he could see the room number. The gleaming metal flashed when a ray of sunlight hit it, but Ash could see the indents on the key that displayed a number. _Room 345, _Ash read before he looked back up. Looking around, he found a metal door off to the side of the room than lead into a staircase that presumably went upwards.

Ash walked over towards the door and cranked it open. He came across the staircase he needed and slowly trudged up the staircase, step-by-step. He had no reason to hurry, and the little bits of sunlight filtering into the area soothed him. When he reached the third floor, the highest floor in the building other than the roof, Ash walked out of the staircase and into the hallway. A long row of polished doors awaited him, each of them prominently displaying their room's number in a bold golden print. He sauntered along, occasionally glancing at the room numbers to ensure that he was going in the right direction.

_Room 345, here it is, _Ash stopped in front of the correct door and pushed the key into the door knob. Twisting it in a 90 degree angle, Ash turned the knob and opened the door. He gave the room a cursory glance before returning to the key and yanked it out, cursing under his breath when he accidentally hurt himself when the key came flying.

Stooping low to pick it back up, Ash walked into the room and observed the room to fill out the details. It was spacious and had just enough furniture to generate a comfortable atmosphere. A bed rested by the windowside, and a drawer resided along the opposite wall. A door next to the bed lead to a bathroom, and the area was devoid of any trash or objects.

_Perfect, _Ash thought as he slumped down into the bed, _ Just what I needed to think. _

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, jumping from Ash's back to face Ash.

"I'm just tired," Ash said half-heartedly, and when Pikachu held him under a stern gaze, "Fine, I'm just stressed out about Tobias."

"Pika Pikapi!"

"Yeah, I know. But we lost to Latios again."

"Pi Pika Kachu!"

"Sure, Latios may be a legendary, but there has to be some way to defeat that guy. I mean, we beat Darkrai didn't we?"

"Pika Pika?"

"I guess we are going to have to just get stronger, but..." Ash paused for a thought, "How can we ever train to beat a pokémon like that?"

"Pi Pikachu."

"Latias, huh? I suppose we could visit her sometime, but I don't know, buddy. I don't know."

Silence ensued whilst Ash reflected on his earlier battle. That was to say, he was contemplating every move he made, every action he took, and every _fucking_ thing he did. Needless to say, Ash was frustrated with the lack of errors in the moves he'd done whilst battling. Tobias' victory was mostly acredited to his use of Latios, and constant spamming of Luster Purge. It was almost as if Luster Purge was a favorite move of his. Ash would've won had his pokémon been stronger or faster.

_There it is again, _Ash considered, _My pokémon have to get stronger and faster... _

Frustrated, Ash absentmindedly tossed his pillow into the air, only to catch it before tossing it back up. While he was doing this, he tried to think of new ways to somehow win against Tobias. His new rival was an even more greater challenge than Paul, whom he was only able to win against in the Sinnoh League after a long and enduring match. He'd lost to Paul every other time before then, and it was only his determination and training that lead to Ash's win, along with a lot luck and experience.

Tobias, on the other hand, was nearly a complete enigma. Well, not really. He mostly relied on Legendaries to win; the fact that he won the Lily of the Valley Confrence using only Darkrai and Latios proved it. And Legendaries had power and speed in abundance, mostly coming from the fact that they had to fight off poachers and run away quickly.

Ash was going around in circles, and he knew it. It always somehow came back to the fact that his out-of-the-box thinking was simply not enough to defeat Tobias, and that he'd have to train his pokémon for speed and power if he ever wanted to defeat Tobias.

Which was his current situation, _again._ He needed to find a way to train in speed and power.

_Speed and power... _Ash's eyes narrowed as he recalled his conversation with Pikachu.

"Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu's voice broke Ash out of his thoughts.

"Nothing, just thinking about Latias again."

"Pi Pika Kachu!"

"No, I'm not thinking of cheating on—" Ash suddenly sat up. He recalled his harsh words from earlier, _"Well it is isn't so fuck off!" _and soundly slapped his hand on his forehead.

"Oh my Arceus, I am an idiot!" Ash blurted out and leapt off his bed. He hoped it wouldn't be too late to apologize.

Something fell out of his pocket and Ash glanced at it before his eyes widened. It was the Terracotta ribbon that he and May had tied in a contest for. They'd split it as a symbol of their friendship, although now it also represented their love for each other. Bending down to pick up the fragile piece, Ash gripped it tightly and ran out of the room.

He muttered under his breath what he'd said earlier, "I'm an idiot," and hoped that they would be still together.

"Pika Kachu Pikapi!" Pikachu reminded him and leapt out of bed to follow him.

Ash ignored Pikachu's snarky comment (with was "Of course, you're Ash!") and set about to run to May to apologize for his earlier behavior. He hoped that May would forgive him, or else their relationship was doomed. It probably was already doomed, but Ash wasn't one to be an idiot if it came to chances. The earlier he apologized, the higher the chance that May would accept it and their relationship could probably continue on fine, although maybe with a rockier beginning.

Of course, there was also the chance that the earlier Ash tried to apologize to May, the more likely he was going to be socked for being a jerk earlier. Ash admitted that, he was a right bastard earlier, but he hoped to earn May's forgiveness, even if he had to go through a black eye to earn it.

With this in mind, Ash willed himself to go faster, nearly hurling himself down the stairs in his rush to get to his girlfriend. In his hurry, Ash almost tripped, but he deftly uprighted himself again and continued his way down. When Ash reached the main floor, the door flew open with a bang and the raven-haired individual ran out, heading straight towards the double doors that lead out of the Pokémon Center.

Right before he ran out however, a screen caught his attention. Misty was on the battlefield at the moment, which meant that May had to be over there. May wouldn't miss a chance at watching the self-acclaimed Water Pokémon Master in battle, as the two had developed quite a bond when they had met in Kanto.

Ash ran off like a madman, trying to worm his way through the crowds to get into the Tournament. Despite the fact that the Tournament was being held, the streets of Petalburg were still bustling with activity, mostly from stores trying to benefit off of the influx on foreigners who had come here to watch or participate in the Tournament. This did not help Ash's case, as he had to swim through a crowd of impatient people who somehow almost always managed to push him farther away from his destination and thus cause more time loss for Ash.

By the time Ash had made it to the gates of the tournament, he was sweaty and slightly dazed from all the pushing and shoving that he'd suffered through to make it here. Glancing up at the clock, Ash nearly swore. He'd spent nearly 30 minutes traversing through the crowds of Petalburg, when it would have normally taken 5.

When Ash was about to enter through the gates, a loud cheer tore through the stadium, clearly indicating that someone had landed a decisive blow or someone had won. Listening closely, Ash could hear faint chants of 'Tobias!' resounding from the stadium. Presuming that Tobias was pretty much pummelling someone, Ash headed into the stadium to try and find May.

He'd come at worst time, as the crowd was currrently in its most hyperactive mode (at least as far the preliminaries were concerned) and Ash could barely see anyone behind the waves of people standing and cheering, far less recognize anyone.

"Shit, Shit!" Ash cursed as he scanned the crowds again, trying to find May.

When his search came up negative, Ash grumpily decided to watch the match and wait until the cheering died down a bit before he could go looking for his girl. The match turned out to be quite captivating as he watched someone else other than himself getting knocked out by Tobias.

The Garchomp stood no chance at all against Darkrai, as even the mighty Dragon-type could not help but fall under the effects of Dark Void. Garchomp's trainer yelled uselessly as he tried to get the Land Shark Pokémon to wake up, whilst Tobias adopted another victory smirk. _How many times has he done that today? _Ash wondered idly. The matched ended quickly and anti-climatically when Garchomp finally fainted after numerous Dark Pulses and Dream Eaters. Really, Tobias wasn't really a good trainer; he relied on using the same moves and combos too often. It was only the Legendaries that even kept him in the game.

When the crowds finally stopped standing up and waving, Ash sought out his friends. Soon enough, he came face to face with Brock, who frowned a bit when he saw him.

"Hey Brock, I was wondering where can I find May?" Ash asked hopefully.

Brock's eyes narrowed (if that was even possible) and asked inquisitively, "Why do you want to know where she is?"

Ash stared at his shoes morosely and replied, "I wanted to apologize to her for my behavior earlier today."

There was a moment of silence, in which Brock seemed to be contemplating his answer. Ash became more sullen with each passing moment and prepared to himself for a reprimanding until—

"She's been in her room in her home since earlier. You should visit her now and try to make amends."

Ash's face shot up and he spoke quickly, "I'll go right now!"

Brock gave a small nod while the younger boy ran off, and muttered under his breath, "I just hope he doesn't end up hurting her instead... I think I taught him well enough."

~oOo~

Ash had to swim through the same crowd of people to get to Petalburg Gym, although the distance from the Tournament and the Gym was even farther than the distance from the Tournament to the Pokémon Center. It was such a pain to get through all these people.

"Pika Pika..." Pikachu bemoaned quite loudly, so that Ash could hear him above the noise of the crowd.

"Quiet, I know that you are hungry, I am too!" Ash's stomach gave a quiet growl that only he could feel.

"Pika Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed loudly whilst his ears perked up.

"Where?" Ash stopped trying to move and looked around to see whatever had caught Pikachu's attention.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu pointed at a piece of merchandise in a store out in the open and Ash turned to look at it.

It was a crystallized sculpture of a Beautifly. Tiny, delicately carved antenae sprouted from the bug's head, and the details on the wings were painstakingly carved. The long thin mouth was curled up and stuck onto Beautifly's head, which laid on a relatively small body. The belly of the bug was attached to a long thin pole which was stuck in a solid glass base.

To Ash, this was a perfect gift for May. Beautifly had long been one of May's favorite pokémon and was used quite often in her appeals. He shrugged and headed towards the store to buy it for May. _Maybe she'll forgive me then, _Ash thought.

When he neared the glass statue and saw the price tag, he nearly winced. It was quite expensive, and Ash currently didn't have too much money.

"This had better be worth it," Ash muttered under his breath.

"Pika..." Pikachu bemoaned once more before Ash hissed, "Quiet!"

Pikachu's head drooped sadly before he perked back up when Ash said, "We'll eat later. I have say sorry to May first..."

"Ka Pikapi!"

Ash followed Pikachu's advice and hurried to make it to May's house, whilst holding tightly onto the glass figurine of Beautifly. He was having difficulty though, as he didn't want to damage the figurine, yet at the same time was rushing to make it through the crowd. Needless to say, his progress was hindered quite a bit.

By the time he'd reached the front doors of the gym, Ash was panting a bit, but in his rush to find May, he charged on forward. He knocked on the door once and waited. When no one answered, he knocked on it again.

_That's strange, how come no one is answering? _Ash wondered. _Shouldn't Caroline be home? _

Recalling that the preliminaries of the Tournament were still going on, even though his friends may have been done watching, Ash concluded that Caroline was probably at the Tournament with Norman.

_What about May? _Ash berated himself instantly, May was most likely inside crying.

Deciding that the front door was most likely not going to open anytime soon, Ash headed towards the back of the gym, where he knew was May's bedroom at the second floor. He hoped he'd be able to apologize a bit there, or at least cheer May up somehow so that she'd at least open up the door. Of course, there was a chnce that the plan would go wrong, but what was life without risks?

With that in mind, Ash tightly gripped the figurine in one hand and clutched the ribbon in the other and headed towards the back door.

As he treaded forward, Ash contemplated about what to say. What was the best way to say sorry without having objects chucked at your face? What if May didn't accept the apology? What if May hated him on sight? What if May didn't speak to him at all?

Ash shook his head resignedly. He'd only enter the dating world a year ago, albeit reluctantly and roughly, but this was something he hadn't encountered before. So he resorted to doing what he did best.

He decided to wing it.

Walking with trepidation, Ash had his head crouching in the corner while thoughts yammered at it, pushing all these 'what ifs' into his mind. He periodically emptied his mind in order to focus on the task on hand.

Ash approached the corner of the house and turned around into the backyard. He was so focused onto apologizing to May that he almost didn't notice the couple making out on the childhood swing that the Maple family had. Almost.

Ash's mind had registered the fact and wondered, _Why would people be making out behind the Petalburg Gym? _

He gave the couple another glance to find out who they were.

It was May and Drew.

The figurine and ribbon both clattered to the floor, landing roughly into the dirty ground. The ribbon bounced on the ground a few times before coming to a standstill, laying on the ground like a discarded piece of trash. The glass sculpture, as expensive as it was, shattered into myraid of glass pieces, each of them scattering and spreading outwards like a glass wave.

Ash saw red and hurled himself at Drew, determined to beat the boy into the ground for stealing away his May. His fist connected with side of Drew's face and make a loud _thump_ sound. He prepared to throw another punch while Drew's eyes widened in shock once he saw who was attacking.

_Yes, you should fear me! _Ash growled angrily and tossed his other fist towards Drew's face. It connected with Drew's eye and would surely leave a black eye. Ash didn't stop there and launched another fist when a desparate cry rang out.

"S-Stop!"

Ash paused in midstrike to glance at May, who had tears streaming down her face. The determined look in her eyes, however, were unmistakeable.

May moved in front of Ash to block him from attacking Drew and held her arms to the side, blocking Ash from assaulting Drew once more.

"I-I won't let you hurt him!"

"May, I-"

"No!" May's voice cracked, but her resolve kept her going, "Just go away, Ash."

By now, Ash was fuming, and when he moved forward to head towards Drew, May pushed him back. Hurt by her actions, Ash cringed when he realized that May wasn't going to budge at all.

Pain start constriciting his chest and Ash nearly felt like breaking down to cry, but he kept his head high. Glaring at the two once more, Ash turned around and sprinted away, heading out of town. He didn't want to be any where near May at the moment.

~oOo~

Ash was slumped up against the tree, his faced marred by numerous dried-up tear streaks and a thin lip line. Pikachu had fallen silent hours ago, after numerous failed attempts to cheer his trainer up.

_How many hours had it been now? _Ash wondered, _7? 8? 10? _

One thing was for sure though. He had stayed here, against this tree, for far too long. Ash's butt was sore from sitting down for so long, and his back uncomfortable from the rough bark of the tree that he was laying against. The sun had already set a few hours ago, and even the pokémon of the forest were silent. Thick grey clouds had been moving across the sky for a while now, starting from the horizon and moving towards him.

A storm was incoming, by the looks of it.

_It was time to go, _Ash mused to himself. Although he was still hurting, he had to get away from _here. _Maybe he'd go to Kanto to train or something, but he needed to get out of here. He needed to take his mind off of things, especially May.

Ash stood up and winced when his muscles groaned after being in disuse for so long. They were cramping and Ash had to—uncomfortably— stretch himself a bit in order to start moving again. Pikachu, glad that his trainer was finally doing something, quickly leapt onto his shoulder to give a reassuring nuzzle.

"Thanks Pikachu" Ash croaked while he gave Pikachu a rub under his chin.

"Pika!"

Ash stopped and pulled out a pokéball. Staring at it, Ash wondered why he hadn't used the pokémon inside for the battle against Tobias.

_Proabably because I thought Tobias was going to use Darkrai... _Ash regretted the decision and vowed to let the pokémon have the next battle against Tobias, be the starting pokémon a Darkrai or not.

Tossing the pokéball into the air, Ash called out, "Come on out, Charizard!"

A large fire-breathing dragon-like pokémon materialized in the air in front of Ash, flapping his wings twice before settling down onto the ground. A flamethrower stuck Ash in the face, causing his face to turn black with soot.

Ash laughed a bit at that, although he stopped soon enough and a frown once more marred his features. Charizard, noticing this, growled as to ask him 'what's wrong'?

Ash shook his head wordlessly, not wanting to talk about it. He quietly asked Charizard for ride to the Pokémon Center. Charizard was confused for moment, before he bent down so that Ash and Pikachu could climb on before taking off.

As soon as he was in the air, Ash noticed that something was wrong. It was in the breeze, and Ash could nearly feel it. The was a thick cloud of darkness in the air, although that could be accounted for by a cloud, it seemed to be something else. When they neared Petalburg City, Ash realized why.

The thick cloud wasn't a rain cloud— it was a cloud of smoke! Something in the city was burning!

Doing a cursory scan over the city Ash realized that the building on fire was the Petalburg Gym, although why that was a target was confusing. Ash sighed, he really didn't want to see May right now, which would prove to be inevitable if he went to help with the burning gym.

Steeling himself, Ash told Charizard to change direction and head towards the Petalburg Gym instead.

As they drew closer, the trio could see teams of water pokémon were already blasting jets of water at the building, fighting the fire. Ash scanned around for an area to land so he could help as well; he hoped that he wasn't too late.

"Over there!" Ash pointed at an empty patch of land in a parking lot just large enough for Charizard.

With a few flaps of his wings, Charizard landed right in that empty patch with a loud _thump_! Ash was about to leap off and rush to the Gym when a loud voice rang out.

"Stop! You, sir, are under arrest for charges of murder and arson!"

Confused and bedazzled by the bright flashlights of multiple policemen, Ash choked out, "What!?"

Officer Jenny walked forward, microphone in hand and stated again, "You are under arrest!"

"For what?" Ash leapt off Charizard to confront the officer directly, but stopped when some of the pokémon surrounding him growled menacingly.

Officer Jenny appeared to be quite annoyed, "For burning down Petalburg Gym and the murder of a Norman Maple and a Caroline Maple."

Ash's eyes widened and he sputtered, "But I was in the forest the whole time! How did I burn down Petalburg Gym and murder Norman and Caroline!"

"Are you not Ash Ketchum?" Officer Jenny pulled out a clipboard to jot down some notes.

"Yes, I am."

"Is that your Charizard and Pikachu?"

"Yes, but what-"

"Do you know a May Maple?"

"Yes." Confusion was setting in now. What did May have to do with this interrogation?

"Were you involved with a breakup with May recently?"

Ash sighed designedly and muttered, "Yes"

"What was that?"

"Yes, but wh-"

"Do you know any of the following individuals: Brock Harrison, Misty Waterflower, Gary Oak, Dawn Berlitz or Max Maple?"

"Yes, they're my friends." Where was this interrogation going?

"Do you believe that you are impulsive at times?"

Ash thought about it for a moment, before agreeing that he did acted rashly and impulsively at times, "Yes."

"Did you participate in the Petalburg Tournament earlier today?"

"Yes." Although Ash was not proud of losing to Tobias, he did participate in the Tournament—for a while at least.

"Where were you for the past 9 hours?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was in the forest!"

"You were in a forest for 9 hours?" Officer Jenny looked skeptical at that.

"Did anyone see you go into this... forest of yours?"

"Yes," Ash said darkly, "May did." He paused for a moment before saying, "And I'm sure some civilians must've seen me as well."

"Well, you are out of luck." Officer Jenny clicked her pen to retract its tip and settled with holding the clipboard under her arm, "According to several witnesses, they report that you were the one to set fire on the building with your Charizard."

"What!?" Ash sputtered indignantly, he hadn't even used his Charizard in the Tournament; how could anyone possibly assume that it was him.

Officer Jenny, seeing the confused look in his eyes, clarified for him, "Several witnesses pointed out a trainer with both a Charizard and a Pikachu was burning down the building. Your "friends," as you say, pointed out that you have both pokémon."

"I'll fucking kill them," Ash snarled. He was fuming and had half the mind to give them a piece of his mind.

"We were able to detain information from May that you had recently broke up earlier today, and since you are rather impulsive, as your actions just know suggests, we decided that you are a primary suspect for the case. Now that you have said that you were in the forest for a whole 9 hours, which is rather unbelievable when no one recalls you going there, you are under arrest!"

"You don't believe me!?" Ash rashly demanded, "I was telling the truth!"

"9 hours?" Officer Jenny asked skeptically.

Ash nodded rapidly, panic was starting to set in once he realized that it also sounded a bit unbelievable.

Officer Jenny sighed, whether in annoyance or something else, Ash didn't know, and pulled out a bag with an object in it.

"What about this?"

Because the sky was so dark and the only light came from Charizard's tail and the flashlights that the policemen were holding, Ash didn't recognize it immediately. He squinted, trying to figure out what it was when flashlight shined on it, causing some light to be reflected off and into Ash's eyes.

He blanched, it was half of a ribbon, _his_ half of the Terracotta ribbon.

Officer Jenny smirked evilly, "Aha! So you do recognize this ribbon. This was found at the scene of the crime, and appears to dropped from somewhere and bounced on the ground for a bit. Therefore, you are under arrest!"

When the officers started moving in, Ash started to panic. _But I know I didn't do it! _

He'd dropped it when he'd found May and Drew making out, and back then, he didn't give any mind about it since it had reminded him too much about May. Now, it had been found and traced back to him, giving his persecutors more solid ammunition for this case.

Ash was angry about his friends, and they would surely pay for it later, but he needed to hide for now. Nothing he had would change these people's minds, and he doubted that he'd ever get out prison for such a crime.

He jumped onto Charizard before the dragon-like pokémon took off into the sky, heading for the tree line of where he was staying earlier.

Lightning cackled and thunder boomed. The storm was here.

~oOo~

Ash slumped down against the tree, having returned Charizard after thanking the pokémon for his services and troubles. The pokémon had promptly toasted him a flamethrower in return.

His clothing soaked, Ash held his head in his hands, wondering about what would he do now.

There was no way he'd be able to beat Tobias now, not when his pokémon would likely be taken away when he get thrown in prison.

The rain countinued to pour, while Ash laid there, listening to the police sirens in the distance. They were slowly approaching, probably to throw him into jail immediately without giving him a trial. They had done that before, to criminal organization grunts, whenever they were caught. Ash hated being labeled as a criminal, mostly because he was usually the one to fight against them, not with them.

_There was no chance of fixing that now_, Ash realized hopelessly.

The rain stopped. Ash glanced up and watched as the clouds parted away to reveal a few ray of light. It was dawn now, nearly three-quarters of a day from his and May's breakup.

Ash counted his days and wanted to laugh out loud when he realized what day it was.

_What a wondrous day indeed, _Ash mused grimly, and patted himself on the back for probably getting the worst birthday ever.

_Happy 15th birthday, Ash! _Ash wondered whether this was all some sort of cruel joke, although the fact that the police sirens were still as loud as ever quelled the fact that it was not a joke and he was likely to be persecuted and thrown into jail at the tender age of 15 for a crime he didn't commit.

_I still have so much to do. _Ash groaned. _If only Ho-oh had shown up and pointed me elsewhere, I wouldn't have to have come to this damned place in the first place. _

After the sky had cleared enough, a chopper flew above him, shining a bright light that struck the tired Ash. He cringed away from the light and wondered whether this was the end.

Several bushes nearby were torn apart as pokémon leapt out to surround him, their trainers following behind shortly after. Surrounded and too tired to fight, Ash was resigned to his fate. With each passing moment, more policemen appeared and he was surrounded by more people and pokémon. They approached him, ready to fight him if necessary, to arrest him.

Ash was going to say goodbye to Pikachu when the unthinkable happened.

A flash of flames later, along with a blinding white light that caused everyone to shut their eyes, Ash and Pikachu had disappeared, leaving behind only a cap that could only belong to Ash.

Looks like Ash got his wish after all; Ho-oh had finally paid him a visit.

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry for the long wait (and the cliffe at the end), but I was very busy over the past few weekends. Between studying for my next test, and going to places to do some things, along with an enormous workload, this chapter took quite a while. After all, this was a big moment chapter, and I didn't want to drag it out too long, nor put too little drama so as to make it feel not unique. I downplayed some emotions, and tried to smooth things out a bit, but... As anyone who had read the previous version can see, there is no crappy confrontation between Ash's friends and Ash (Yay!). There will be a confrontation in the future (maybe), but this is my best shot at revision. _

**A/N 2: **_Now for what may seem like a rant, but is actually just addressing some issues that will come up soon. _

_Psychic is an extremely versatile move, there's no doubt about it. In conjunction with another move, you could, theoretically, dominate the battlefield if the opponent can't break the combination. However, alone, Psychic deals no real powerful damage. Unless you are interested in gore, psychic only really moves things around or slam pokémon against things (choking is cheating in my opinion because that is like a one-hit KO if the target can't get out, but if the target does get out, there's no damage done). However, Psychic still has power 50 so as to add additional power to any moves that are boosted by Psychic, such as Hyper Beam. Hope you guys got all that. _

_Now, onto the definition of Legendaries. In my mind, there are only about 8 Major Legendaries (aka, these guys are gods) which include Regigigas, the Creation Trio, and the Weather Trio, along with Arceus himself/herself/itself. These guys most definitely cannot breed and are sole pokémon with enormous amounts of power. The remaining legendaries are considered minor. Now, I want to point out that the term Legendary is defined as something that is rare to the point where it is usually only found in legends. Therefore, Mew is a legendary, as is Meloetta. A flamer tried to say that Mew is not a legendary, despite the fact that it is depicted in more legends than Jirachi was... Legendary = extremely rare, got that? Good. Yes, most legendaries are extremely powerful, but that is due to their rarity, and evolution (Darwinist evolution, not pokémon) takes place. _

_Finally, some people in my past story pointed out that Mewtwo was erased from Ash's memories in the first movie. Yes, that is true, but I am including the second movie clip which involves Team Rocket and Mewtwo. This is crucial because in the first movie, Giovanni was nowhere near Mewtwo when he erased the memories, so he would still been hunted down, which is something I don't want to be doing here. Therefore, Ash will remember Mewtwo, albeit only the second encounter. _

_My rant is complete. However, I have a question: Do you want a culprit for the crimes/atrocities that Ash was accused of, or do you want to skip that and keep reading? _

_My next update will also take a long time, as I have to prep for a SAT subject test so, Ciao!_

**Suggestions? Questions? Comments? Reviews? LEAVE A REVIEW!**


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